The weather isn't the only thing that's en Fuego in Columbia, South Carolina before the start of the 2025 football season. Shane Beamer and the South Carolina Gamecocks landed another blue-chip recruit for the 2026 Recruiting Class on August 8. The Gamecocks landed four-star running back Amari Thomas following his decommitment from Florida State.
According to Rivals, Thomas is the 28th-ranked running back per position, and 437th nationally. Chalk up another "welcome home" for the Gamecocks as they land an SEC-style back to help Carolina in 2026 and beyond. It's another notch in the belt for Beamer as he and his staff continue their hot run in landing recruit after recruit. After the Thomas commitment, the Gamecocks are adding stock to their 2026 Class, and it's being reflected in recent rankings.
The Gamecocks, per On3/Rivals, have moved up to No. 17 in the nation for the 2026 recruiting class, following the Thomas announcement. Carolina moved up one spot from 18th to 17th nationally and up three spots within the SEC to now rank eighth in the conference. That gives the Gamecocks 15 total commits for the 2026 class, with more time to grow that number and ranking.
When it comes to in-state commitments, the Gamecocks come in with a 40% for the 2026 class. The average distance, when it comes to committed players, they are 184.7 miles from the campus in Columbia. The Gamecocks aren't afraid to go outside of the state to find players, but are also trying to cash in on having home-state grown players. They can do this while beating other programs from taking them away from South Carolina, or even making sure in-state rivals, Clemson, doesn't take them either.
Out of the 15 committed players, 66% of them are considered blue-chip prospects (four- or five-star), which is exceptional for the Gamecocks, who look to build a winning culture with sightes on the SEC title and the college football playoffs every year. Compared to other programs, the average NIL deal for the Gamecocks is $85,000. While it's not the highest, the Gamecocks find guys who want to play at Carolina for more than just money. They want guys who want to be part of the culture.
That seems to be what's been working for the Gamecocks, especially as the summer draws to a close. They can grab commits that have either not been committed yet or decommitted from other programs, with the help of showing them what it means to be a Gamecock. That plan has worked so far for the 2026 class as Beamer and company keep building the class week after week. This looks to be the best recruiting class in a long time for the Gamecocks.
The thing is, they're only getting started and are just cranking the heat up.